Chapter Eight – Julius

“You look happy, Mr. Harrison,” Adam commented as Julius made his way out of the hotel with a picnic specially prepared by his best chef, and a well-sealed Tupperware container filled with anchovies. Over which his bear was drooling.

“I am, Adam.” Julius stopped whistling and turned to Adam. “I’m out this afternoon, but maybe first thing tomorrow we should have a talk.”

“First thing tomorrow?” Adam’s eyes narrowed. “Is everything all right, Mr. Harrison?”

Julius smiled, and said, “Couldn’t be better. It’s time we spoke about the future, don’t you think?” He picked up the tune where he’d left it and whistled his way through the reception lobby, with Adam by his side.

“My future, in a good way?” Adam asked as Julius left the building.

Julius nodded, and swung the picnic basket as he made his way across the parking lot to his car. The weather was perfect, and he’d dressed for the occasion in jeans and a shirt, finished off with a pair of sturdy hiking boots. His expensive suit was hung up in his closet, and there it was going to stay for the rest of the day.

I’ve never had so much time off work, Julius informed his bear.

Good, his bear answered, his usual morning grumpiness replaced by an eager expression. Anchovies by the side of a waterfall sounds much more interesting.

You have it all planned, Julius observed as he drove out of Bear Bluff, heading for his true love.

I do. This is going to be quite a day, I can feel it in my bones. His bear stretched. And my claws.

Julius rolled down the window and whistled along to the radio as he navigated the back roads heading to Bear Creek. The mountain rose up as high as a human eye could see into the distance, and it called to him, a deep, primal thrumming in his veins. Hot damn! He felt alive. His Catherine had come back to him.

During a restless night full of thoughts of his true mate, Julius had been forced to come to terms with the sorrow he’d kept hidden away. He couldn’t let it rule him. Yes, he’d missed out on having children of his own. Yes, he had missed a large portion of the life he was supposed to have lived with Catherine. But he was not going to waste their time together on regrets. What was done was done.

Time to move on, his bear stated.

Time to move on, Julius agreed.

He parked the car along the street by Bear Creek Mountain Store. The good weather had brought tourists to town, and there was a steady stream of people going in and out of the store. Julius left the picnic basket in the car and walked to the store, pushing the door open and going inside. He expected to have to ask Liam to tell Catherine he’d arrived, but no sooner had he set foot inside than he scented her.

The unique scent of his mate sent a shiver of excitement through his body, and as she approached, he had to reach out for the nearest clothing rail and clutch hold of it to keep himself upright. “You make me go weak at the knees.”

She smiled, her eyes bright, filled with joy. Julius wasn’t the only one who had spent time coming to terms with their relationship. “You have a way with words.” She touched his cheek, and her lips brushed his. “It’s good to see you, Julius.”

He sighed, and inhaled deeply. “You smell delicious.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, even though your bear has a passion for small, salty fish.”

Julius laughed. “I am the one with taste.”

“We shall see.” Catherine turned and glanced around the store. “I’ll see you later, Liam.”

“I won’t wait up!” he called back. Everyone in the store stopped what they were doing and looked at Catherine and Julius. She blushed furiously, and headed out of the door with her son’s laughter in their ears.

“I’d like to get to know him more,” Julius said as they got in the car.

“Who, Liam?” Catherine asked.

“Yes. I’ve never had children, so I’d like to have a good relationship with yours.” He started the engine, and then glanced at her as she buckled her seatbelt. “That includes Mike.”

Catherine sat back, and pressed her lips together. “When he leaves prison. I hate going to that place. I wouldn’t want to force it on you.”

“I don’t mind,” Julius said honestly. “I’m not offering to win any favor. I would like to help, that’s all.”

Catherine swung her head around to face him. “Can we talk about it some other time? I’d like to enjoy today and forget all about normal life.”

“Sounds good to me,” Julius said as he guided the car through the busy main street of town. “Tourist season is getting underway.”

“Liam is busy. He gained a lot of publicity after he took down those egg thieves. He said it went viral.” Catherine made small talk as they drove toward the mountains.

“The whole area has seen an upswing in visitor numbers. We have already seen an increase in reservations for this coming weekend. The weather looks settled. The mountain calls to the wild side in all shifters.” Julius watched for a left turn, the road would take them high up into the mountains. As a bear, he would have run across the lower slopes and then climbed on four stout legs, but it was not an easy climb for humans.

“Do you come up here often?” Catherine asked as they drove under tall trees, with their vibrant green leaves about to burst from buds at the end of every branch.

“As often as I can. But I’ve buried myself in work for too long. That is all about to change.” He pulled the car over to the side of the road. “Here. We can follow the trail, it’s not too strenuous, and it will be worth it, I can promise you.”

Catherine got out of the car and joined him as he removed the picnic basket from the trunk. “You might have to take it easy on me. Liam insisted on kitting me out in suitable clothing. I hope these hiking boots don’t rub.”

“We’ll take it slow.” He looked down at her boots. “Your thick socks should stop your boots from rubbing. And I like the cargo pants.”

Catherine looked down at her outfit. “They’re not really me. But that might change, since they are so comfortable.”

Julius took her hand. “This way. My bear has told me exactly where he wants to take you.”

“So I can feed him anchovies?” Catherine asked.

“Don’t mention them. It’s all I can do to keep him from taking over as it is.” Julius chuckled as his bear roared his displeasure at being kept at bay. But Julius wanted to enjoy talking to Catherine before the big grizzly took over.

“I can’t wait to meet him,” Catherine said. “It is a him, isn’t it?”

Julius stopped under a large pine tree and frowned. “He’s all male.”

She giggled. “I was teasing. I might not have married my true mate the first time around, but I’ve raised two shifter boys single-handedly. I know how the mechanics work.”

“That must have been tough. Puberty is all kinds of crazy from what I recall. Going through it with two headstrong boys, when you don’t know exactly what they are experiencing, must be even harder.”

“Maybe that’s where I went wrong with Mike. He didn’t have anyone there who really understood him. Except for Liam, of course. But he didn’t have the guiding hand of a shifter role model.” Her pace slowed as she spoke, and Julius turned around and walked backward, one foot behind the other, watching her beat herself up over it.

“What about Liam? He turned out OK. He runs the store. Made a success of it, from what I can see.”

Catherine smiled weakly. “He’s such a good boy. Well, young man. I think that’s what makes me so angry at Mike. There was Liam, an undercover cop who tracked down drug dealers. While his own brother was a drug smuggler.” She puffed out a long breath. “Makes me so mad.”

“I didn’t know Liam was an undercover cop.” Surprise was evident in Julius’s voice.

“Yes. Although it’s kind of a secret. He gave it up to come here to Bear Creek and take over the store. I’d loaned Mike the money, all my savings because he told me it was his chance to prove himself.” She shook her head, berating her choices. “I don’t think Mike ever had any intention of making good on the store, it was too much like hard work. But it gave him the perfect cover for smuggling drugs.”

They had reached a steep part of the trail. Julius stopped and opened the basket, taking out a bottle of water. “Here, keep yourself hydrated.”

“Thanks.” Catherine took the bottle and drank deeply before passing it back to him.

“I always wondered what I’d have been like as a father. Whether my kids would have grown up resenting me, or being proud of me.” He took her hand and helped her up the steep trail as small stones moved underfoot with each step, making it hard to get a grip.

“I believe you would have made a good father.” Catherine sounded breathless, but they were close to the top so he pressed on.

“You don’t know me. I’m a driven man. Before I bought the hotel, I worked the stock market. Long hours, in which I’d get totally engrossed in the thrill of chasing millions in profit.” All so long ago, a different man, a different lifetime.

“Why did you give it up?” Catherine asked, relief on her face as he finally pulled her up onto a wide expanse of grassland. The waterfall was another mile away, but over gentler terrain.

“Because of you.” Julius held her against him. “That day you got married, my life stopped making sense. I focused on work, but you consumed me. I burned out a couple of years later. But I’d made my fortune and then the hotel became my new mistress.”

“Sorry.” She pulled a goofy face.

“It wasn’t your fault.” He dropped a light kiss on her lips.

“Maybe you have your answer.” She turned in his arms and looked out over the valley below. “If we’d met and been together, do you think you’d have stayed at work? All those hours apart.” She pressed herself back against his body and he tightened his hold on her. Did she have any idea of the effect she had on him?

“No.” He lowered his head and nuzzled her neck. “I don’t think I could have stood being apart from you for one moment.”

Catherine leaned her head back on his shoulder and raised her face to look at him. “You would have spent endless hours in my bed.”

He kissed her lips, his tongue tracing her lower lip. “I would,” he murmured.

“And then we’d have had bear cubs and you would have raised them, played with them, because that’s what matters to you.” His hand slid up her body, covering her breast and he massaged the plump flesh in his large hand. She opened her mouth, a soft gasp, and he took full advantage, kissing her, entwining his tongue with hers.

He groaned. “You drive me insane, Catherine.”

She broke away from him. “Then we should keep our distance, I don’t want to let your bear down. He wants some fun too, doesn’t he?”

“Anchovies,” Julius nodded.

They walked hand in hand across the tough mountain grass. There was no hurry, they had all day. And then the rest of their lives to make up for lost time. He particularly liked the idea of spending endless hours in her bed. Or, more precisely, endless hours inside his mate.